Captain Planet! He's our Hero!

Do you remember the show Captain Planet? Such a cool show! A bunch of kids with crazy rings fighting the bad guys, and when it gets too much for them to handle... Call in the blue guy! That's right, Captain Planet! He's our hero! He steps in, and with his superpowers (which were always rather ambiguous), he would save the day! Good stuff! And all the kids had their rings, and they represented different things: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Heart... I'm still not entirely sure where Heart comes into play, or what exactly it means, but it was always the last one mentioned, so it must be important! And, of course, when they put their rings together (well, not really together, more just pointed them in the air in the same direction), the magic energy things would join in, summon Captain Planet, and he'd enter with his famous line: "With your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!" Cue '90s inspirational music to set the mood for the heroics! And of course, those weren't just any kids, they were Planeteers! What a cool name! Run around, wear a cool ring, summon a blue superhero, and get a cool name for doing it. All they needed were jackets with their name and logo on it! All their villains in some way represent the problems facing the stability and well being of the environment, and it's their job to not only save the world, but educate people how to take care of it. But, it's through all of their efforts that they can get the job done.
We often run into big problems in our life, and need some help. I'm sure we'd all love to have some superhero show up and save us. Unfortunately, that doesn't really happen. No caped crusader will come and beat the bad guy. We can't just sit back and watch as the situation is cleanly resolved. However, we aren't left alone. Our Heavenly Father has given us a protector, if you will. Someone to comfort us, to guide us, and to help us. This is the Holy Ghost. We are able to summon Him at any time to help us out in a bind, but there are certain things that need to be done, certain "powers" that need to be "combined". We need faith, obviously, as that is the beginning of everything. We also need obedience to the Lord's commandments, and to be worthy of this gift. We need to study the scriptures, and understand what the Holy Ghost is, and how it can help us. We need to pray, to tell our Heavenly Father what we need, and to ask for the Holy Ghost to help us out. With these powers combined, we can have the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, to swoop in and help beat the bad guy! Pretty simple things to do to get the great gift of the Holy Ghost! It's incredible how much the Lord is willing to do for us, and for how little He asks in return! 

Testimony

In John chapter 4, we read of an experience Jesus had with a woman of Samaria. He meets her at the well, and asks her for a drink. She then questions why He, a Jew, would ask a Samaritan for a drink, when Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. He then explains of living water, water that He has that if she would partake, she would never thirst again. She misunderstands the metaphor, and wants actual water that will forever quench her thirst. She then comes to the realization that He is no ordinary man, first claiming Him a prophet, then realizing his full divinity as the Messiah. She goes and spreads the word, and many people hear her words and come to see for themselves. Verses 41 and 42 read: "And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." It was after they had seen for themselves, witnessed the Man Himself, that they knew who He was. They had to learn it, to experience it, rather than just rely on the words of others. The woman gave them reason to believe, but it was interactions with Christ that made them truly believe, and know who He was.

This is what we do. We aren't out here to convince anyone, or to make them believe what we say. We give people a reason to believe, and a desire to know, and then it's up to them. They have to go straight to the source: Just as the people of Samaria knew it was the Messiah when they heard His words, people of Montana (or wherever you may be serving) can know the truthfulness of our message by hearing and reading the Word in the Book of Mormon. We can testify until we're blue in the face, but that's not what is going to convert them. My testimony is my own. I can't loan it to someone, and someone else can't take it for their own; they need to develop their testimony just as I have, and as countless others before me have: Through studying the scriptures and praying to know if it's true. It is through the Holy Ghost that people will know truth. "We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost." (Introduction to the Book of Mormon). We invite all to come and see. We give them a reason to believe, and the Lord makes them believe. That's why we're here, that's what we do. Our words aren't enough. The Spirit is.